Monday, September 10, 2012

DEVIANTS and ARC Giveaway!

Today's highlighted book is DEVIANTS by Maureen McGowan published by Amazon Children's Publishing. I received the ARC in the mail late last week and as soon as I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The style and action-packed pace made it impossible to set aside.

The release date is Oct. 30th!

Here's the blurb from Amazon:

In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Glory must hide and protect her younger brother. If their Deviant abilities are discovered, they’ll be expunged—kicked out of the dome to be tortured and killed by the Shredders.

Glory would give anything to get rid of her unique ability to kill with her emotions, especially when Cal, the boy she’s always liked, becomes a spy for the authorities. But when her brother is discovered, and she learns their father, who was expunged for killing their mother, is still alive, she must escape the domed city that’s been her entire world.

Outside in the ruins, they’re pursued by the authorities and by sadistic, scab-covered Shredders who are addicted to the lethal-to-humans dust now covering the planet. Glory’s quests to transport herself and her brother to safety make up the thrilling and fascinating first volume of The Dust Chronicles.

What I love about this book: I really fell in love with the main character, Glory. She's tough and knows how to kick butt, yet at the same time she's thoughtful and sacrificial. Glory is willing to do just about anything to keep her brother hidden. Because of this, she is drawn into a whole new world that she never knew existed.

What makes this book unique:

I loved the angle that McGowan brought in at the end of the book which leads into book 2. Of course I can't ruin the ending but I thought it was unique and something I hadn't seen in dystopian literature that I've read. At the same time I was slightly annoyed because now I'll have to wait for book 2 to be released before I get to find out what happens next! What's up with cliffhanger McGowan? I think she's trying to torture us.

Why you should read it:

The writing was just flawless. As a writer myself, I'm a tough critic when it comes to style and the right mix of well, everything. McGowan knows how to tell a fast-paced story without allowing the writing to suffer. And excellent world building!

My favorite line:

"I've tried to be a good person, to do the right thing, but I am not a good person."


Stalk Maureen on her blog or Twitter: @MaureenMcGowan

I'm also giving away my ARC of DEVIANTS! It's simple. Leave a comment below. Tweet it and tell me you did so and get an extra entry. Contest ends Sept. 17th.

19 comments:

Andrea Mack said...

This sounds like a story my daughters might like. Thanks for letting me know about it, Christy!

Doug Farley said...

Yes, your daughters would love it!

Maureen McGowan said...

Thanks so much for posting the review and doing the giveaway! :)
Thrilled that you enjoyed Deviants. You made my Monday morning.

(And the second book, Compliance, should be out in May 2013. Not that long a wait.) :)

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Sounds like a must read to me. Thanks for the review!

Akoss said...

Hard to turn down a thrilling dystopian with a strong heroine. :)
Thank you for the giveaway.

Akoss said...

I also tweeted about the giveaway.
Here is the link:
https://twitter.com/akossket/status/245308271152467968

Christina Farley said...

Wow Maureen- Compliance comes out in May? That is fast. Yay!

Akoss- it is a good read

Jemi Fraser said...

Sounds like a great story! It'll be awesome for my classroom!! Thanks for the tip :)

Llehn said...

I'd love to play please!

Bish Denham said...

Sounds awesome. Congratulations to Maureen on her up and coming release!

Talli Roland said...

Sounds like a very interesting read. Congrats to Maureen!

Jennifer McAndrews said...

Throwing my "100% agree with Christine!!!" into the mix here. I was extra-lucky to win an ARC of this book and Ho-ley cow! yup, from page 1 you're hooked into an unputdownable read. so good. also, it's book 1? but the book 1 story wraps up in such a satisfying manner that you're eager to read book 2 without being left hanging -- if that makes sense. It's like I just can't wait to see what happens next, but in the very best way, because I love these characters and the world is so rich. I can't wait to see what's in store for Glory!

I'll stop gushing now : )
(and clearly, don't enter me in the giveaway. other people need to read this book!)

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great read! Thanks for the chance to win!
saltsnmore at yahoo dot com

Kelly Polark said...

That is a good line!

Congrats to Maureen!

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

I was so excited when I heard Maureen had this book coming out. My daughter was very upset that there weren't going to be more fairy tale books, so we can't wait for this one!

Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/NJDamschroder/status/245631914386530304

Stina said...

I'm not a SF fan, but I will keep this book in mind for my TBR pile. The other elements are what I look for in a book. :D

Thanks for the great review, Christina.

Brenda Gayle said...

My daughter has gotten me into reading books like yours. Now we're fighting over who's going to get to read it first! Congratulations.

Christina Farley said...

Jennifer- I'm glad you liked it too! It is a captivating read.

Stina- I really wouldn't consider this a sci fi. More of a mix of dystopian and paranormal.

Mrs. Jones said...

Sounds like a great book! Im totally digging the Dystopian genre right now!!

Great review

and thanks for stopping by my blog earlier!!

I noticed that you are a YA and MG author, do you have a link for your books somewhere? I didnt see anything on your blog.

Nice to meet you! :)